January 24, 2010

Life is settling down a bit now that the holidays are past. There is no upcoming events that require attention at this moment.

Yesterday, I attended an all day scrapbooking event in hopes of getting some much needed work done on my big project. I managed to complete 18 pages yesterday, which is majorly awesome. I also learned a few lessons to put to use for the next all day event I attend.

1) There is no need to bring everything with me. This is especially true if the demonstrator is bringing all of her stuff and making it all available for everybody to use.

2) Keep your goals in check. I had hoped to complete the entire book yesterday. I was a bit disappointed to walk out of there with 15 pages left to be done. However, when I stopped to consider that I finished 18 pages - I had to admit that the day was productive.

3) Don't lose sight of having fun. The whole idea is to compare notes and enjoy the company of like minded people. Make it a point to say hi to the people you don't already know.

4) Be prepared for crazy things to happen. We were interrupted more than once by random people wandering into our rented space just to find out what we were doing. I even managed to get hit on by some guy who used the "curious to know what all these ladies are doing" line to make an excuse to come in the room. My Stampin'Up demonstrator was amazed and asked - after he walked out - "was he just hitting on you? cause that's what it sounded like to me..."

We've decided that we will be doing this event every quarter. Now I'm looking forward to the next all day event and finishing up those remaining 15 pages.

January 9, 2010

The holidays are now well behind us, but the aftermath is still lingering. I'm still tired. The house is still in a state of chaos. (Oh wait - the house is always in a state of chaos. I can't blame that on the holidays.) There is the essence of change on the horizon.

We are preparing to enroll Kira in riding lessons in March. She loves horses so much that it is a natural option for her. Her physical therapist said that riding would be good for her hips, too, because it would force her legs into a position that would allow stretching of certain muscles and make her legs stronger. We have not told Kira about riding lessons, nor will we until the day comes to begin. I have a rule here that I try to adhere to as strictly as possible. **Never tell the kids what you plan to do too far in advance just in case something happens that prevents you from doing what you had intended. If they don't know what was planned, they won't be disappointed.** Surprising them with special events is much better for my peace of mind, too. After all, if we tell her that she will be starting riding lessons in March, every day will begin and end with "how much longer" and "I can't wait" - to the point of driving me insane. (More so than I already am...)

For Marisa, we are just following along with her natural personality. Her education is definitely taking a different path than Kira's. Her interests are just so completely different and her focus is not quite the same, either. Five minutes is about the maximum amount of time I can guarantee for any bit of instruction before she's off and running again. She has taken a liking to reading time, though. For a long time we wondered if she would ever sit still long enough to enjoy having a book read to her.

As I mentioned before, change is definitely in the air. My husband is throwing him self full scale into the search for a new job. He is exploring every possible option, which could definitely mean a series of exciting adventures for the whole family. This next year should be most interesting...